Source: 1000 SC

According to a recent poll, owning and living in a freestanding house on its own land is still a goal of a majority of young adults, like that of earlier generations.(A) like that of earlier generations

(B) as that for earlier generations

(C) just as earlier generations did

(D) as have earlier generations

(E) as it was of earlier generations


The popular answer choice is E.However I feel A is the right answer since we are comparing goals(noun) and not "owning and living" (actions), and therefore like should be used.Can you please explain.Also is there any easier wa to find out where to use "like" and where to use "as"?

Shib,

like v. as is an extremely confusing grammatical distinction; fortunately, the GMAT only scratches the surface of this complex topic. You seem aware of the general rule that "like" is used to compare nouns, while "as" is used to
compare clauses (subject plus verb). Moreover, "like" is normally used to two compare similar but not indetical nouns. In contrast, "as" is used to depict identical phenomenon. For example:

Dan acted like a clown
-My behaviors were similar to those of a clown

Dan acted as a clown
-I actually played the part of a clown

In the example at hand, owning and living in a freestanding house (clause with verb) is a goal, as owning and living in a freestanding house (clause with verb) was a goal of earlier generations. To correctly use "like," the sentence would have to directly compare nouns. A proper rewrite of this type might appear similar to the following:

The current generation, like earlier generations, desires to own and live in a freestanding house.

Hope that makes sense
-dan